Collapsible grain-door



B. F. GRAHAM. COLLAPS IBLE GRAIN DOOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1920.

' Patented July 12, 1921.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET B. F. GRAHAM.

COLLAPSIBLE GRAIN DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19.1920.

138%, 1 90, Patented July 12, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ?q 7 are: a s

BENJAI/IIN F. GRAHABI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

' GOLLAPSIBLE GRAIN-DOOR.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. GRA- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Grain-Doors; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, .andto the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a collapsible grain door which is adapted to be placed in the doorway of .a freight car, and comprises mechanism whereby the same may be readily adjusted for difierent sizes of doorways, and mechanism whereby the same may be easily operated.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a collapsible door that may be readily adjusted for cars having differentsized doorways by an easy and convenient method, and that is not liable to sag.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a collapsible door that is provided with overlapping hinge sections to strengthen the same and prevent the escape ofsmall grain.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a novel structure and arrangement that is cheap, durable and easily manipulated, as will more specifically appear from the following specification and disclosures in the drawings.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a boX car showing the sliding door open with my collapsible doors mounted in the doorway.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale, and also show ing in dotted lines, the grain door in open position.

' Fig. 3 is a front elevation of my collapsible door on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of the adjustable mechanism from the rear side.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentarysection of'the door hinge on an enlarged scale.

T Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the door adjustment at one end on line 6-6 of Fig. 3, on .an enlarged scale.

F ig. 7 is a section on the line 7--'7 of Fig. l, on an enlarged scale.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentgd J l 12 1921 Application filed July 19,

1920. Serial No. 397,375.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of adjustment.

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, on an enlarged scale.

As shown on the drawings:

Referring now to the drawings, in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views, 1 represents a box car in'which grain may be hauled, and 2 represents the usual sliding door in open position. The open doorway of the car is shown as closed by a plurality of my improved collapsible doors, the lower one of which is the one usually used for emptying the grain from the car, the others provide retaining boards for keeping the grain in the car. 7

My collapsible door comprises preferably a pair of fairly narrow boards 3, in alinement and arranged. at the upper outer side of the door. These boards may consist of wood or other substance. Below these boards there is a pair of boards 4: of substantially twice the width of the'narrow boards and arranged similarly to the boards 3 with their abutting ends in alinement with the abutting'ends of the boards 3. On the opposite side of the door are a pair of similarly alined narrow boards but arranged at the lower part of the door, and a pair of similarly alined broad boards at the upper art of the door. The abutting ends of t ese narrow and broad boards are in alinement, but the line of juncture on one side is a trifle to one side of the line of juncture of the boards on the opposite side or staggered with relation thereto as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. As shown in Fig/Z', it will be ob served that each broad boardoverlaps the end of a narrow board and also the juncture of a broad board with a narrow board on the opposite side of the door;-thus interfitting parts are provided and staggered joints whereby a rigid structure is attained that precludes sagging to a large extent and the escape of grain. This structure provides an the. door from flexing or opening except an abutment in the form of a joint 11, which limits the endwise movement of the door with respect to the upright 12. Near the opposite end of the door there is an ad ustable abutment in the form of a screw 13, having a head 13 abutting against an upright 12*, and threaded into the outstandmg flange 1 1 of an angle member. The other leg 15 of this angle member is adjustably secured to a plate 16, which is secured to the door over a cut out section .17 thereof (see Fig.3). For this purpose the plate 16 is provided with a plurality of inclined notches 18 and a groove 19, and the leg 15 1s pro-v vided'with a stud pin 20, adapted to fit in the notches 18, and a screw 21- having a head 22 in slidable: engagement with the bottom of theplate'and around boss 22 fitting in the groove 19. Thearran'gement is such that the angle member may be' swung or swiveled to bring the stud pin 20 into the groove 19, allowing the angle memberto'be shifted longitudinally until the stud pin can be swung into a different notch. Thisyadjustment may be called the major adjust T ment since it provides for ad ustments 111- capable of being attained by the minor adjustment of the screw Both of these adjustments are simple and easily effected to accommodate my collapsible door; for any variation in the width of car doors, and to also 'secure'the door against endwise movement bythe minor ad ustment. P i

In Figs. 8 and 9, I have shown a modified form of adjustment in which a supporting plate 23 having a slot and ratchet teeth 24 in one wall thereof is secured over a groove 25 cut inthe' door. This groove is preferably made by removing a portion of one of the boards which constitute the door. This plate 23 supports an adjustable plate member '27 having a ratchet tooth 28 desi ned to engage any of the teeth 24: on the plate 23. Plate member 27 is secured by means of a stud 28 having a head 29, which fits against the rear of the plate 23 and isprovided with a boss 30 that fits in the slot of plate 23' and an aperture inplate'27. The outer end of stud 28 is further provided with a boss 31 upon whichis pivoted a cam member 32 having an operating handle 33. The outer end. of plate '27 slidably supports the abutment 3et,-.which may assume the form of an angle This latch member 8 is provided with a haniron with the outstanding flange serving as the abutting surface.

A slot 35 in the plate 27 is designed to receive the boss of a screw 36 having a flanged head 37 fitting against therear ofthe plate 27 the threads of this screw being designed to support the abut-- ment 34 adjacent the cam member 32. The head 37 of the screw 36 has a sliding passage in the-groove 26 of the door. The major adjustmentv in this instance is effected by slightly turning the plate 27 and sliding it so as to engage the tooth 28with a diflen' ent tooth of the ratchet plate 23. The

minor or'supplemental adjustment is effected by operating the cam32 against the end of the abutment .3 1 to slide the same 'so as 'to wedge the same against the upright, 12.

In" order to prevent tampering with the grain in transit,my collapsible door may be locked and sealed in place, and for this purpose I have shown a wire 38 which extends inback of the lever 6 and enters through an aperture 39in the lever 6 and keeper-7,

the ends'ofthe wire being brought together and locked by seal 40. r

In the use of my. inventlon, it. isico'ntemplated that the doors 'locked'from "flexing 7 maybe placed in position one on top of the other in interfitting "relation and "adjusted against endwise movement asthe car is being filled with grain. And when theear has reached its destination, the lower door may be unlatchedi by. a downward swing upon the handle 10 whereby the cooperating lever'6 :will move out of engagement with 7 the keeper 7.- The pressure of the. grain in 'thecar will then-act tofiexthedoor-Outwardly .to allow the grain. to escape. In

case the pressure of the grainis not sufiis I: V

cient to flex the door openysome manual means may be used to assist in the opening thereoffl 1 It will accordingly be observedthat my collapsible door embodies a "strongandnom i sagable, structure that is easilyia'nd readily adjustable; that for this purpose is providedwith a major adjustmentwhere the variation in the size ofidoor is of'a sufiicient'degree, and a minor adjustment that provides for small adjustments and "at thesame time secures the door "againstfendwise movement;

that s easily and readily fiexedland very '7 serviceablefor the use to which it is put. f

I am aware that numerous detailsof coni. struction may be varied through -a"wide' range without departing fromthe-prlin'c'iples of this invention, and I therefore-do not purpose limiting-the patent grantedother- I wise than necessitated by the prior-art; 7 7

described,al Q1' I claim asm'y invention:

1'. In device of theclass lapsible door comprising a plurality" of hinged sections, an abutmentatthe end of one section, and an adjustable. abutment near 1 02 the end of the other section comprising a member adjustable by a turning and slidable movement and a longitudinally adjustable member carried thereby.

2. A collapsible grain door having an abutment at each end, one of said abutments comprising a longitudinally adjustable screw member, and an adjustable support for said member.

3. In a grain door, a supporting plate having a notched slot, a member slidably adjustable in said slot and having a lug cooperating with said notches to hold said member in adjusted position, and an adjustable device carried by said member to provide an adjustable abutment for the door.

4:. A collapsible door for grain cars comprising a pair of sections hinged together, each section comprising a double tier of boards in overlapping relation with one tier of boards of each section overlapping a tier of boards of the opposite sect-ion and disposed in staggered relation thereto to provide a double overlapping juncture at the hinge connection, and means for holding said sections in rigid relation.

5. A collapsible grain door for grain cars, having a slot adjacent one end, a support anchored in said slot and shiftable to different positions in said slot, and a device carried by said support and adjustable with respect thereto and adapted for engaging parts of the car wall.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. GRAHAM.

Witnesses:

E. W. WEIKERT, SPENCER W. GIBBS. 

